1. Technical Field
The following disclosure relates generally to the field of forecasting and, more particularly, to a system, method, and apparatus for analyzing actual shipping data in a worldwide shipping network to estimate the number of items or parcels per container, per aircraft or other vehicle, per day, along a particular shipping lane or route.
2. Description of Related Art
A significant challenge facing shipping enterprises such as United Parcel Service, Federal Express, DHL and postal services is determining future equipment needs such as, for example, the number of trucks needed to transport an expected volume of parcels from point to point. A parameter presently used to determine these needs is the number of items per container for a particular route, which is often referred to as the container density.
Currently, container density is estimated using a quick visual inspection, which often produces unreliable data. Typically, an individual will report the number of items loaded into a container and estimate the percentage of the container utilized by the loaded items. Using this data, the shipping enterprise makes equipment deployment and purchasing decisions. For example, the enterprise may decide not to add containers to a particular route if the estimated percent usage of the current container is low. However, because this data is based on unreliable estimates, additional equipment may be purchased when it is not necessary or insufficient quantities of containers may be available to handle an expected parcel volume.
Thus, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that provide a more accurate measure of container capacity usage and, in turn, provide a reliable forecast of future equipment needs.